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Topic Review (Newest First)

01-30-2013 03:41 AM

oldpunk78

Not that anyone cares... But I hate leaving a thread open with no ending.

I ended up buying a new Mazda 5.

I love it so far. I wish it was a little bigger but all in all, it fits my needs on a daily basis perfect. Averaging 25mpg mixed driving. The leather seats are really comfortable and the headlights rock. (Not that those are really all that important, lol.)

01-21-2013 11:52 PM

Shangrila

Listen to what I'm going to tell you. First off a little background on me. I own a AAA repair shop for 13 years and have been in the automotive business for close to 30 years I am ASE certified and a diagnostic wizard. I have worked on nearly every kind of Japanese and american car/truck/suv/crossover and what ever other fancy nick names the manufacturers throw at them, not to mention some european bombs(the worst cars made). A vehicle(other than a collector type) is the worst investment we make. They depreciate quickly, they require maintenace on a regular basis, they rot, they degrade, etc. Now on to the subject at hand-which minivan to buy. I will tell you from personal experience that you can not go wrong with anything made by Toyota. The next in line would be a Honda. All the rest are second rate at best! Do not waste your money on any kind of American minivan! The best bang for your buck is Toyota. A 3-4 year old Toyota is WAY better than any brand new domestic van. I know I'm gonna get heat for this, but I work on these things day in and day out and I can tell you what is good and what is not. There may be a few other brands that have lasted some people a long time with little trouble but they a far and few between if you look at their repair history. PM me if you have any other questions.

01-21-2013 08:11 PM

Nubster

If you are going to drive a van, the choice should be obvious...

01-21-2013 04:01 PM

scapegoat

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zefrik

I am an 18 year old male and I drive my mothers town and country. Yeah you can laugh. But the van has done pretty good over the years. With it nearing 150k miles it is still chugging along. Never had to many major problems with it other than that.

Full disclosure, the person that bought that tank from me got home successfully with it loaded in a 4 door Prius..........

01-21-2013 01:45 PM

somewhatshocked

Sigh?

Think about how much tank stuff you can fit in a minivan!

It's not just about the children.

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldpunk78

So, oldpunk is getting even older and I with the news that we're expecting a 3rd kid have found myself in the market for a minivan. Sigh*

01-21-2013 08:23 AM

acitydweller

I'm a fan of the second gen Toyota sienna. Currently drive the latest version. Disspell the minivan stigma as its all about the attitude and ego really. I'd skip he doge entirely as having a $80 fill up each time will wear on you rather quickly...

01-21-2013 08:17 AM

Smitty06

Don't pass up on a honda with only 30K miles on, my mom has put 300K miles on hers and still going strong. Major problems with the hondas are:
- Ignition likes to move slightly out of place making starting the car a PITA.
- Steering wheel will stick slightly when you are at 250K (mom and others experiences)
- Key slots on the outside of the car, if you don't use them tend to not work after a while. (3 years or so with use here and there)
- Works best on shell gas (when compared to other gasses)

01-20-2013 02:06 AM

sick lid

I'd take a 5 year old Odyssey with 80K on it over a new Dodge any day. Another 5 years on and you'll still be ahead.

01-19-2013 11:54 PM

oldpunk78

Thanks for all the responses people. I took a five hour round trip today to look at the 5. It's awesome but it's just too small. It would be great for a family of 4 though.

Now that I've crossed that off my list, I guess my options are wide open now. Going to look at the others tomorrow.

I'm strongly considering a certified used Dodge at this point but plan to check out all of the vans in my price range now. I guess I was waiting to see how I liked the Mazda first because I couldn't find one to look at locally. All the other models are within 1/2 mile of each other now, lol.

01-19-2013 03:36 PM

Bandit1200

Quote:

Originally Posted by rbarn

Why limit yourself to a mini-van when you can get a full-van ?
You'll be the envy of every soccer mom

Nothing says I'm here more than a E350

And you'll be saying that a lot...at the gas station

01-19-2013 02:45 PM

Captivate05

Quote:

Originally Posted by rbarn

why limit yourself to a mini-van when you can get a full-van ?
You'll be the envy of every soccer mom

nothing says i'm here more than a e350

lmao!!

01-19-2013 02:35 PM

rbarn

Why limit yourself to a mini-van when you can get a full-van ?
You'll be the envy of every soccer mom

Nothing says I'm here more than a E350

01-19-2013 07:57 AM

blink

Take a look at the Hyundai and Kias.
I've owned two, a 2006 sonata that I racked up 50k miles and my 2010 genesis coupe which just cracked 62000 miles. The sonata was troublefree and ran like a top with nothing more than scheduled maintenance. The genesis had a rear differential replaced under warranty, defective right off the lot because of a production line issue but it's been solid as hell, my wife and I took it on a 3700 mile trip this past October.

I'd avoid a dodge product because of the transmission issue blazingwolf mentioned, we've had 8 dodge/chrysler products in the family over the years, starting with a 1995 Intrepid and ALL of them have required replacement transmissions... not too confidence inspiring. Maybe they have improved, after all, Hyundai and Kia have improved, but 8 transmissions in 17 years, no way I'd buck my family's odds lol

01-18-2013 07:19 PM

accordztech

Yea I read that the new quest sucks...and look like ass.

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